


you're my silver lining

by Redroses91



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Barely managing to survive keith, Bilingual Lance (Voltron), Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Closeted Character, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Emotional Roller Coaster, Fluff and Angst, Gay Keith (Voltron), Immigrant Lance, Keith/Lance (Voltron) Angst, M/M, New York City, Rich boy lance, Sexual Humor, Socially Awkward Keith (Voltron), mechanic keith, slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2018-04-17
Packaged: 2019-04-23 15:50:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14335863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redroses91/pseuds/Redroses91
Summary: "for someone who just saved me you seem kinda-" he meets eyes with the stranger, both not knowing what to say."i-i'm uh, lance, you are?-""name's keith. you're welcome, by the way"—keith saves lance from being mugged and lance feels the need to befriend him since. problem is, keith tries his best to keep his distance and not to get attached.





	1. Pt.1

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first story on ao3, hopefully this goes well. the lowercase is intended,i hope you all enjoy <3

  
lance mcclain was born on july 28th on a hot day near varadero, cuba. he came to the loving hands of his parents as their first and only child. he was quite the plump infant, his dad commenting on how chubby his cheeks were and how round he was.

as lance grew up, in the eyes of his parents, each day he was more and more of a blessing. like how he gripped onto his parent's fingers tight and played with his mother's face while babbling. maybe when he spilled food all over himself and giggled or mimicked his dad's expressions.

even when he mumbled his first words or sneezed so loud he scared himself. his parents always had the fondest affection of him.

frames upon frames were hung of the family on the walls. each with a moment that they didn't want to forget of their little boy.

lance's mother, amaya, sang to her child as he laid in his crib. he yawned and rubbed his tired eyes. "goodnight mijo, te amo"

she leaned over to kiss him on the head, the baby smiled as he felt the tender kiss on his forehead. she left the room and crawled into bed next to her husband.

"did you get him to sleep already?"

"yes, it took me a bit but-" soon the crying started again and the man turned into a sitting position on the bed.

"guess it's my turn" alejandro sighed as he got up and walked towards the nursery.

alejandro was a business man who fell in love with his wife when they were very young. he was quite serious when he had first met amaya but she turned him soft slowly.

the day his son was born, he cried. sometimes amaya jokes alejandro was crying harder than lance, which he didn't find funny. it was his son, his own flesh and blood. it was one of the only times he ever cried, other reasons being over his wife or his own family.

he walked in to hear lance crying and walked over. he picks him up and talked to him "ey, porque estas llorando? don't cry mijo, it's okay papá has you"

he bounced him lightly to soothe him and to see if that would've help. lance still letting out cries until his father had an idea. he grabbed him and lifted him into the air; making airplane noises.

lance liked it according to his sudden stop of bawling and instead has a expression of curiosity. the mustached man smiled as he pulled him down and lifted him back up again. the baby giggled more as he got lifted up, back down and yanked strongly at his father's nose.

"you're gonna be strong, i can tell already! just like you're dad!" lance giggled as looks into his dad's eyes.

"p-papá" he managed to babble, giving a smile though he had no teeth to flash.

alejandro smiled fondly and gently explained "okay lance, i'm going to put you down and no crying."

he slowly put lance back down and covered him with his blanket. his son chewed on the corner of the woven material "buenas noches my son, we have big plans tomorrow"

the next day alejandro and amaya went down to the bank to see of they were allowed to be loaned money to start a business, more specifically, a restaurant;it was rejected. in fact, sadly it went in that same pattern for months.

they tried it one more time the week before lance turned two so that they could possibly have had the money to throw a party for all of their family members to come visit baby lance.

both sides of the family knew how stressed out the parents were to give their son a birthday so they all united to bring gifts and party necessities for the boy. his aunt yasmine bringing him a frosted blue chocolate cake.

they were all cheering him on as he tried his best to blow out his candles, dad helped him a little but that's okay. everyone cheered louder as the candles were okay and lance was clapping along with them too. "good job mijo!"

they tried feeding him by fork but he grabbed a piece off the plate and ate with his bare hands instead.

they dance, sang and drank all night long. lance being a happy bundle of joy and being the center of attention. his tias dancing with him as his tios were drunk and singing along to some songs.

though the fun ended a day later. the family of three was still having money problems, amaya soon growing tired of washing plates and waiting tables. alejandro took three jobs at a time to support his family. leaving lance with the lady next door who had a lot of cats, which amaya didn't like.

it broke her heart night and day to be away from her son so they gained an idea. they decided to save up money so that they could move. they wanted a fresh start, a place where they could follow their dream. the parents had decided that they were going to move in search of better opportunities to them and their son.

though for goals, sometimes sacrifices have to be made. they got kicked out of their home and had to stay at amaya's mother's house. she wasn't fond of alejandro but the two managed to survive one another. after all, she did love her grandson.

ms.silva adored her grandson, always sang him songs and knitted things for him. scarves, sweaters, hats, boots. she loved cooking for him and watching how eager he was to it. she always tells her daughter and her son-in-law "es bueno para comer este nino"

amaya would giggle and agree with her mother. they stayed there till lance was three and a half. lance being a toddler now and a talkative one too. he would talk to his grandma about what he did or saw that day.

sometimes amaya would catch him playing with his toys and watched as he made them talk.

"you're going down bad guy! phew, phew, phew" "oh no! we're under attack!" amaya fondly smiled at her son, feeling love and pride pumping through their body.

they told lance that day that they were going on a trip to the beach. him being excited, he tried waddling up the stairs to get his beach clothes.

though in reality they weren't going to the beach, his parents had other ideas. he saw his grandmother hugging his mom tightly and kissing her cheek. his mom crying and wiping tears as his father rubbed her back.

they got in their car as lance asked "Mamá, are you okay?"

"yes mijo, i'm okay" his mother managed to say as she rubbed her eyes and fixed her brunette hair.

"why are you crying then mamá?" there was no response.

the family drove off to a port. where they would sailed off to america, landing in miami. from there they went up the east coast to reside in new york city.

they lived in a tiny and cramped apartment, though they tried making the best of it. they played the radio and tried dancing to songs. lance got to be closer to his parents, which to him was always a plus.

alejandro insisted on his wife staying home to raise the child, so she stayed with lance. lance was a mama's boy and he loved it. he loved when his mama booped his nose and kissed his cheek or when he'd talk to her about a bird or dog outside.

more years went by, alejandro and amaya had finally gotten the opportunity to open up their restaurant, a life long dream finally coming true. lance was now 7 and was a rowdy child.

always ran around bare foot with scraps on his elbows and knees and bandages all over. he played soccer, or football as he knew it, with the kids that lived in the rooms downstairs in the alleys.

instead of that lance, this lance was dressed proper for the opening. he knew this meant a lot to his mother and father so he tried his best to look dapper. he wore a tux and had his hair gelled up.

that day lots of people from their neighborhood came in and tried out the food. the first day was a success.

at the age of 10, lance and his family started opening up new locations around different parts of new york. as the months went by, the mcclain family got more wealthy. prosperity was among them and they were grateful for it.

they managed to earn so much that the family moved into greenwich village. where lance met his friends hunk and pidge. hunk's family also happened to run a restaurant while pidge's family were scientists and software developers.

the trio got along great. sometimes hunk would be scared or anxious to try something new but lance and pidge pulled him out of his fear. when lance was insecure or anxious about the way he appeared, they'd comfort him and tell him nice things. there's times where pidge's dad would leave for work trips or matt went out with friends and she felt lonely. luckily lance and hunk were able to cheer her up and bring her peanut butter cookies.

for fun they'd watch pidge practice her computer coding while cheering her and supporting her. it made her laugh and more motivated to do her work.

the boys would teach pidge to cook, which usually ended up in a food fight. this time they had flour all over their clothes, faces and hair. they all laughed and high-fived each other. lance looked to them as they sat on the floor and tried to get their attention "hey guys"

they looked to him and said "yeah lance?"

pidge twirled her hair curiously as hunk looked at him. he fiddled with his fingers nervously and asked with insecurity "we'll always be friends right? like no matter what happens?"

pidge nods slowly with a comforting smile "i don't see why we wouldn't lance"

"yeah lance, you're awesome!" hunk grinned, which brought a curve to lance's lips. yeah, he might have missed the kids back in the old neighborhood but this two were better. he liked that they were different, just like him.

they all shared a smile till lance secretly gathered some flour in his hands from the floor and threw it at them.

"hey!" lance laughed as he got up and started running away. these were the good times, the times he knew he wouldn't forget. no matter if he stayed there, moved into a different part of the city, moved across the country or went back to cuba.

it made him feel warm and loved, it made him feel at home. for once in his life lance mcclain found a permanent home with friends he knew loved him for him.

 


	2. pt.2

-present day, greenwich village- 

with the sound of the alarm clock going off on the nightstand next to him, lance proceeds to let put a groan. 

"ugh, come on, are you kidding me?" he slams on his ringing alarm clock and yawns. rubbing his eyes, he yawns and sits upright. 

after getting his morning stretch and brushing his teeth. he rushes to the door to grab the newspaper left on the doormat. he doesn't quite understand why they still bring newspapers or even make them but he likes the comics so he isn't complaining much.

he hummed along to a song as he made coffee for his parents and him. he knew how much his father loved the smell of it in the morning. he started dancing to the song he was humming, shaking his way to the fridge to make himself some eggs. he grabbed the carton and set them down as he was now whistling. 

alejandro walks into the kitchen with a smile on his face "woke up in a good mood, sleeping beauty?" 

lance turns around with a blush of embarrassment creeping up on his cheeks. he looks away quickly to grab a pan and says "i guess i did, according to you, dad" 

his father chuckled before pulling out his mug and pouring his coffee out of an expensive coffee machine. the son looking to his father now and asking "where's mom?" 

the older man sips his coffee and answers "she's showering"

mrs.mcclain always showered in the morning, it was apart of her daily routine. lance nods and opens up the egg carton. he cracks the two eggs into the pan and opens up the cabinet for some pepper and salt. 

"g'morning mi amores," amaya greeted walking in, her hair dried and was dressed for the day. she took pride in being the business woman she had become. dressed in a two piece suit which made her feel confident and in control. 

"morning mom!" lance smiles as he adding a pinch of salt and pepper on his eggs. amaya and alejandro giving each other a kiss, soon the mother walking over to her son. 

he leaned down as his mother got on her tip toes to kiss him on the cheek. he smiles a little, loving the feeling of affection. 

"how'd you sleep?" she asked softly, pouring herself a cup of coffee. lance knew she likes her coffee black nowadays,though he remembered from when he was a child she'd drink it with milk and sugar. 

she was more cautious with her image nowadays, though he didn't know why. he felt she was beautiful no matter what so he was confused when she changed her style. his mother told him that if she didn't dress seriously they wouldn't take her seriously, he was confused to why but doesn't think awfully hard on it. 

"like a baby." lance replied, a joking tone underlining his answer. his father chuckled and piped up "well that's good, haven't slept like that in ages" 

the blue eyed teen looked back to remember when was the last time he slept like a baby and blushed at the memory. he remembered lying in a bed that wasn't his and felt warmth under the weighted sheets. 

flipping the eggs, he let out an uneasy laugh "yeah dad," lance almost let out a cough. he opened his mouth again, displaying a more normal tone "hopefully you sleep like that again soon"

alejandro made a noise of agreement as amaya sat down next to him "anything new on business?" 

"well we have a meeting with all the managers today in two hours, we should probably get going"

amaya nods in agreement and leans towards her husband, whispering for only him to hear "are you going to tell him or should i?" 

or so she thought. 

"tell me what?" lance asks from across the table, eating his eggs with orange juice. 

his parents share a look as amaya speaks up "mijo, look. we know it's a big thing to turn 18 so-"

"your mother and i decided to give you a some what late birthday present present" alejandro says, interrupting. his wife looking to him with a disappointed pout. 

lance's face changed from starving to one of bewilderment and excitement. his left foot bouncing on the floor of joy and anxiety. 

he sees his father pulls out a key, lance's smile huge "you guys got me a car?!" 

his parents gave each other a look before looking back at lance. his smile turned into an expression of embarrassment "i uh-forgot heavy traffic existed here for a moment" 

alejandro gives a chuckle as his mother speaks up "we wanted to get you something you'd need to get around"

he handed lance the keys and says with a smile "go look in the back" 

"say no more pops, i'm on it!" he practically yells before getting up and rushing towards the surprise in the back. he starts thinking 'what if it's a motorcycle? oh god, that'd be so cool! maybe one of those four wheelers or those little three wheelers with a seat next to it? having someone next to me wouldn't be so ba-' 

he opened the door and his face was a mixture. he didn't know if they were joking or if the real surprise was somewhere else. he looked around to have his eyes go back to the gift. it was a blue moped, a fucking moped.

sure, it was a cute little thing but lance didn't think it suit him. he wanted something that was, to say the least, cool. it had a helmet on it too, a helmet! 

the cuban adolescent walked over and grabbed it. he examined it and rubbed his thumb over it. 'what is it going to protect me from?' he thought 'mario kart? speed racer? how about dating?' 

"nice helmet, nerd!" he hears from up above, turning around to find pidge snorting and having a amused smile. 

"look who's talking, computer geek!" he jokes, replying back. she fixes her glasses as the window below and across from pidge opens. 

"hey guys, why are we yelli- oh nice uh, motorcycle?" hunk says with a hint of confusion at the end,stopping when he sees lance's gift. 

"it's a moped!" lance says, shaking his head 

"it technically is a motorcycle, a small one to say at least," pidge explains as hunk smiles

"well, close enough, i'll take it as a victory," he replies as he focuses back on lance "anyways, why do you have it?" 

"it's a gift from my mom and pops. it's a late birthday present, it's only been a few days though so i wouldn't consider it that late though. it's pretty cool huh?" he explains, leaning against it and smirking confidently. he looks down at it again and thought 'okay, maybe it isn't that bad'

his friends nodded as pidge speaks up and asks "is it in good condition?" 

"looks like it, might need a oil change or something though" lance assumes, scratching behind his neck. pidge shook her head as she thought 'he probably hasn't even checked, what a moron'

hunks gets an idea and says "hey, my dad knows some mechanics! maybe we can go to them and see if they can inspect it?"

pidge shrugs, looking down at her friends and says "i don't see why not, sounds like fun"

lance looks to his friends, rubbing his chin and asks smiling "you think your guys' parents will be cool with it?"

-in east village- 

it was no surprise keith was already up and eating some leftovers from earlier in the week. in this small cluttered area, leftovers were a blessing. 

never a scrap going to waste. he looked down at the bones he had on his plate and smiles after. already knowing what to do with them, he walks to the alley and whistled lowly. 

he heard the sound of feet and looks both ways cautiously. only to be tackled, keith letting out a sound of pain "okay, ow" 

he's immediately met with a slobber filled kiss, him laughing "bear, cmon! get off!" 

the chow chow sat down and wagged it's plush tail. he practically adopted the dog when he was just a stray puppy. though the landlord says no pets in the buildings so he puts bear out into hiding. 

he's a caramel colored dog, a big one too, hence the name. the dog panted and barked. keith shushes him, smiling after "you want breakfast, don't you?" 

the canine started begging as the teen walked inside and grabbed his plate. he brought it out and says "here you go big fella. it's uh, leftovers. kinda like always" 

he placed the bowl on the ground as bear sniffed it and started swallowing it down. keith sighed as he sat down on the doorway. 

"i need to learn how to have a decent conversation with people, what do you think?" he asks as watches bear eat his food. moving a strand of hair from his face he mutters "why can't my life be normal for just a day?" 

bear finishes and nudges his hand as keith scratches behind his ear. the dog lifting his right hind leg and scratching at the air. the grey eyed teenager let out a short laugh as he watched. 

he was waiting for shiro to finish getting ready. they both ran a business, a repair shop. shiro knew about cars while keith knew some of the basics, learning as he went along and later learning about motorcycles. 

they figured it'd be something to look into, there's always business when it comes to cars and motorcycles.it looked like something simple for both to do.

that was incorrect though, everyday ended up with their shirts covered in oil stains, dirty hands and an aching body. not to mention dealing with impatient costumers and hearing them yell all the time. 

keith didn't have that kind of patience which is why they left that work to allura, their phone girl who manages the front desk and deals with the customers for the most part.

"keith! where are you?" the raven haired boy jumps out of his spot and panics. 

he looks to the dog and manages to say "bear, scram!" 

luckily he catches onto the trick his owner taught him and ran into the shadows of the alley. shiro appears and says "keith, there you are. i was wondering where you were, good morning by the way" 

he looks up and says "morning"

he locks all the windows and pulled down the shitty blinds. they walked out the door, keith making sure the door was secure. the boy closes the door and sighs "another day, huh?" 

shiro nods and hums, on his phone texting someone. keith's head tilts in confusion of why he wasn't paying attention. "shiro?" 

shiro looked over to him a bit dazed "um, yeah?" 

"were you listening?" keith asks as they jog across the street. shiro puts his phone away and awkwardly laughs. 

"sorry keith i-"

"let me guess, allura was texting you?" keith says, holding back the urge to roll his eyes. he knew shiro had a thing for her since the moment she flashed her smile at him. 

allura was in desperate need of a job so she sweet talked her way into getting a job. he was putty in her hands and she knew it too. though keith can't say he wasn't envious of the way she persuaded him so easily. he thinks it's a talent how effortlessly she can talk to people, much less to be able to persuade them. 

shiro's cheeks flushed and he started stammering. "that's all the information i need" 

"you didn't even let me finish?!" 

"don't need you to finish, i already know" he fixes a strand of hair out of the way of his vision, looking at his friend. 

"yeah, it's her" shiro answers in defeat

"typical." keith says, rolling his eyes this time 

the taller one of the two playfully shoves and says "aw, is keith jealous?"

"in your dreams lover boy" keith laughs, shoving shiro back. both laughing at each other. they share a smile before keith looks away and asks "so what's for work today?"

shiro's eyebrows furrow and starts explaining "today's a walk in day and from what i remember, there's no scheduled appointments"

keith ties his hair back and says "good for us"

"not really, i mean we do live off of what we make" shiro says with a shrug as he kicked a can that was on the floor. keith looking across and seeing greenwich village. 

"look at 'em, bet they have a fence around every single tree and a lid on each trash can on the block" keith says with a frown as shiro looks to him. 

"hey, don't give up hope." shiro says looking at him and down at his work boots. "you go and visit there a lot, don't think i don't notice. why do you visit there, by the way?

keith stayed quiet as shiro simply said an okay and they continued walking. the shorter one looks to his friend and says "how do you think it's like to live over there?" 

"nice i bet, though some university kids there must be busting their ass to study." shiro says, stopping to stomp on a cigarette that was still somewhat lit on the floor. he catches up with keith and looks to him "imagine being able to know you have money to pay your bills? must be a hell of a euphoria"

keith chuckles and says "i bet it is, what'd you eat for breakfast by the way?" 

"that one dragonfruit you bought the other day" 

"you ate my fruit?!" keith says looking at him "i-i had to walk all the way to the nearest train station and had to be there to get to chinatown to get it! you wouldn't want to know what i saw up in there!" 

"sorry buddy" shiro says rubbing his neck "i'll uh- pay you back?" 

"sure as hell you will" the short one says, somewhat disappointed about his fruit. he had been craving it for a week and not to mention he was riding the metro with bear throughout the city. "that's coming out of your paycheck!" 

"keith, we own the shop" shiro says as a flustered keith throws his hands up in the air. 

"i-i'm trying here, man" he says out of frustration, repeating it again lowly "i'm trying" 

shiro looks to him and fixes his hair back "you're trying your best, it's okay. you'll get there someday" 

"it's so hard talking to people shiro" he whispers as his friend gains a sympathetic look. 

"not everyone has it, it's okay" the taller man tells him "i was just like you once, not knowing what to say and everything just seemed so confusing"

"you? once like me? yeah right, what a joke" keith says, shaking his head in disbelief

"i was actually, couldn't't talk to anyone without making a so-called fool of myself. it was completely embarrassing" shiro confesses, laughing a little "i would think too much but i was just trying to be the best person i could be at that time" 

"why are you just telling me this now?" keith asks 

"so you know you're not alone in that feeling." 

the teenager nods and thanks him for his advice. they both continue to walk along, the taller one of the two making a joke sometimes. 

once they arrived to the driveway of their business, they were welcomed by allura who was already inside and had turned on all the lights. she walked out, her fixing her dyed white wavy hair back "good morning boys"

"morning allura" keith says as shiro looks around and speaks

"look's like you took care of opening shop, good job" he smiled as he observed the place.  

"it's my job to do that, remember?" she replies, a laugh at the end. keith notices the flirtatious aura coming off them and decides to leave the situation 

"i'm going to work on something in the garage, you two have fun" is the last thing he says before heading to work

-meanwhile- 

"slow down will you!" hunk begs as pidge and him are pedaling heavily on their bikes. it was hard for them both to catch up with lance, who was having the time of his life currently 

"go blue!" he says happily as he's going down the bike lane 

"you named it blue?!" pidge says as she manages to catch up 

"yeah, it just kinda happened. i warmed up to her!" he smiles softly 

"did you just call it, a her?!" hunk barely manages to say as he manages to keep up with his friends now. he thought it was crazy, then again when wasn't lance crazy. for his 13th birthday the blue eyed boy tried to take a shot from his parents' alcohol bottle and ended up almost vomiting in the living room. 

the friend shook his head at the memory as lance speaks up "course she is! it's why she warmed up to me so quick!" 

"yeah, yeah, sure" pidge says, hiding a amused smile from him. she loved lance, hunk and him were practically two other brothers to her. the younger and smaller girl found him to be the ultimate goofball, though she enjoyed his quirkiness. she was smiling till she realized something "hey hunk, aren't you supposed to be the one giving us directions?" 

their friend soon blushed of embarrassment and said "uh-"

"don't worry pidge, i got the place on my phone" he smiles as the automated voice said for them to turn right on the street. 

"shouldn't we be close by now? my feet are killing me!" hunk pants as he sees the shop "salvation is here!" 

lance smiles as he parks the scooter on the driveway of the place. taking off his helmet and shakes his hair a bit. pidge fixes her glasses "we get it, you have god like hair" 

hunk laughs as lance says "darn right i do!" 

they all walk in, a chime of bells ringing as the door opens and closes. all of them examined the room. they walked over to the desk and hit the bell placed on it. a girl in her early 20s walked out, fixing up her hair as she got behind the desk "welcome to s&k, how can i help you three?" 

lance thought 'she's kinda cute, i like her accent'. he opens up his mouth and explains "you see here uh-allura? you see here allura, i got a moped today and i wanted to see if i can get a inspection on it. you know, to make sure it has nothing that needs to be worked on. name's lance by the way" 

"a moped? why, that's kinda cute." allura says as she smiles. she genuinely thought having one of those was adorable. she saw it more as an accessory than a way of transportation "have you been here before lance?" 

lance poses and flirts "no but seeing your cute self here, i might come more often than expected" 

the corners of allura's mouth started to twitch and she starts to chuckle "nice try lance but i take my job here seriously. i don't flirt with clients, much less boys like yourself"

hunk and pidge hug each other as they both start snickering behind lance. the cuban teenager flabbergasted and not knowing what to say next. allura decides to do the  boy a favor and speaks up "you'll have to sign this paper work and the inspection will be fifty dollars" 

"r-really? god, i expected it to cost more!" lance said feeling victorious. he pulls out his identification and cash as allura notices a baby picture of lance with his parents under the cuban flag "you're from cuba?" 

lance nods and says with a smile "cuban and proud"  

"i'm from england myself, hence the accent" allura smiles as lance looks to her 

"looks like you and i got something in common" he says as he has a peek to the back and sees two people in the back working. one was a muscular guy with a grey shirt that fit him just right, the other more lanky and that he just assumed was a woman. 'wow, they're both pretty hot-' 

"lance, still need that money and i forgot to tell you with the tax. it comes to fifty five dollars and forty cents" the sun kissed boy placing the money down and getting the exact change "thanks, now if you could fill out that paper work for me please" 

after lance had a call with his parents, he manages to finish the paperwork. he gives to allura as she thanks him and takes it to the backroom. hunk and pidge yawn as they look to each other 

"i'm hungry," pidge says as her stomach rumbles 

"yeah, me too. lance, i'm getting hungry" hunk pouts as lance sighs 

"you guys can go, it's my moped anyways" lance says, hoping silenyly they would stay. though both friends shared a smile as pidge says 

"race you to whole foods?" 

"you're on!" both scrambling to their bikes and speeding off. lance watching them leave through the glass and sighing. he looks to allura, who was writing down something and says "i'm going for a walk, how long will this take?" 

"about an hour" she answers, not looking up. fixing his light brown hair, he walks outside and heads down the street. he secretly likes exploring places he knows he shouldn't be in so he found a real kick walking around alone. 

he was walking for some time till he gets pushed into a wall. "give me the necklace!" 

lance was trembling somewhat and frightened. there was three guys and one had a knife pointing right at him. he whimpers as he sees one of them being thrown against a wall. 

all of it was too fast for him at the moment. the punches, the kicks and bodies getting bruised. lance stood in the corner petrified and watched in horror. he curled up in a ball and hears a voice 

"hey, you alright? it's okay, i'm not one of them. they're gone now" he slowly peeked open his eyes and saw a hand reaching out for him. 

he takes the offer of pulling him up and fixes his hair "thanks man, that was quite scary back there" 

"i'm assuming you either come from a safe place or never been to new york or maybe even both. according to you seeming you don't know the rule that being alone here is a bad idea. especially when you have something valuable like a gold necklace and pendant on you" lance slowly comes out of the haze, shaking his head. 

"for someone who just saved me you seem kinda-" he meets eyes with the stranger, both not knowing what to say. 

"i-i'm uh, lance, you are?-" 

"name's keith. you're welcome, by the way"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i felt like it wasn't good but i tried. especially when i have to write flirty dialogue when i can't even platonically compliment someone without feeling embarrassed. anyways, i also want to say any songs, movies, stores and books brought up in this fanfic i don't own them and all belong to their credited people. i hope you guys enjoyed this and i'll see you all next chapter!! <3 -C


	3. pt.3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you enjoy <3 p.s. comments motivate me to write more ((:

"how did you-why did you-there was three, and a knife. how?!" lance stammers as he gains more realization from the situation that had just happened. keith looks at him and fixed his oiled tank top straps before speaking. 

"um, uh-calm down. you're going to faint or something if you don't" keith says awkwardly before pulling off his hair tie and shaking his hair down. his locks falling down as lance breathes out slowly. 

his mom always told him after being scared to eat something sweet to calm down. he looks to him and says "do you know of any ice creams places around this joint?" 

keith raises a brow and says in bewilderment "you-you just got assaulted and you're asking me about where an ice cream place is?! what kind of a person are you?" 

"we haven't even properly met yet you're giving me bullshit, you're unbelievable! also the kind of person i am doesn't matter at the moment!" lance says, his hands in fists and at his sides now. "i was almost killed by some muggers!" 

"possibly injured or severely injured or maybe killed. who knows, possibly could've tortured or held you for ran-" 

"can we please stop talking about the possible chance of me being dead, now?" lance says as keith groans

"ugh, fine! as long as you buy me something from the parlor too" keith says, a scowl on his face. lance nods as the cool gray eyed boy spoke up again "i deserve it after i saved your ass" 

"don't think this is a date, i'm not into people like you. you're pretty intense, you-you meanie!" lance says as keith looks to him with a face of annoyance and confusion. 

"i wouldn't date someone who thinks meanie is a good insult so the feeling's mutual,"  
the raven haired one turns around to start their way to the destination and says "let's get going, i have somewhere i need to be" 

"which is where, mullet?" lance asks teasing the stranger as he hears keith growl and starts walking. lance following behind, shoving his hands into the pocket of his jeans.

"my job and don't call me that." keith replies looking into lance's eye with a hard glare in his eye. the cuban knew that glare anywhere, it finally hit him. 

"holy shit!" lance says aloud as it makes keith panic and pull out his pocket knife. 

"what is it?!" 

"you're keith kogane! you were the captain of the varsity soccer team, you were going to be valedictorian! you were a straight a student, everyone envied you!until you disappeared and no one knew where you went," the teenager explains, finger on his lip looking to the right and recalling tidbits he remembered "pretty sure you remember me, i'm pretty boy lance as they called me on the team"

keith didn't express any type of emotion on his face, only thing he did was twitch his right eye involuntarily. he puts his knife away and holds back the urge to yell at lance for shouting out of nowhere like that. instead the teenager speaks up numbly, not answering the question "i don't remember you." 

"remember, number sixteen? everyone considered us rivals?!" he says, shocked and somewhat offended his old captain didn't remember him. secretly, lance wished he had the talent and effortless mysterious vibe that oozed off the boy in the grey tank top. though his charm and looks was good enough for him to be satisfied. 

"oh, i remember you now. you're the one kid who tried starting a rivalry with me." keith says side glancing at the tanned male's face and continuing to look straight foward. he was just walking out for a break and now he's walking next to this asshat. he already knew today was going to be a hell-of-a day.

he remembers how everyone liked lance and talked about how rich he was. something about his parents making some restaurants around the city. said he lived in greenwich of how much his family had. keith wasn't the type to socialize with people but he'd lay back and listen. just to collect info on people and may or may not to find out their weaknesses. 

"kid?! we're the same age!" lance says defensively

"you were seventeen when i turned eighteen" 

"how do you remember that?" 

there was no response as he continued walking. lance rubbing the back of his neck and says "yeesh, guess they were right about you. you don't speak much and you got this whole 'lone wolf' demeanor going on" 

they walked around the corner as keith pulls out a lighter. lance's eyebrows raise, him feeling a bit timid "um, what are you doing?" 

the mechanic grabbed a piece of paper from the floor and lit on fire. he threw it into a trashcan and watched it burn for a moment. he was staring at and heavily thinking. that was at least was happening until lance spoke "are you one of those people who get like-excited about fire?" 

"excuse me?"

"yeah, you know. those people who get joy out of setting shit on fire" 

"i'm not a pyromaniac, if that's what you're asking" keith says, not really liking talking about this topic to lance or talking to him in general 

"does it make you feel nice?"

"what?"

"kind of that warm tea in your stomach or cuddling up next to someone feeling? if so, i get it. i have a similar reaction with water" lance says as keith looks to him

"what are you talking about?" he replies back, sounding somewhat less harsh than before 

"the feeling of when a fire's warm and close to your body. it almost feels like your heart is set on fire and warming itself for you" keith got chills down his spine imagining of how nice that must feel.

he disliked the fact it felt nice and that the fact what lance said put his emotions into words. keith couldn't even do that for himself, he put his hands into his pocket and walks quicker without saying another word.

"but no, seriously. what is up with you?" lance asks, the tone in his voice now serious and now going at keith's pace. 

"will you stop asking me questions?! i just want some silence, please!" keith says lashing out at lance, the boy startled. 

though lance being stubborn and hard headed opens up his mouth "my mom always tell me that people need to eat or else you get angry" 

keith groans and tugs at his hair. "if you open your mouth one more time i will leave you here for dead. you got it? someone like you wouldn't last here" 

"to have you know, i live here." lance says, getting impatient

"you think you know what living here is like cause you live the fucking dream of what new york is, alright? you live where they film all the movies and shit sitcoms cause they picture this damn city like it's some kind of sanctuary. while other people like me see the real new york, the hard life of being middle or lower class person. not some god damn character or a wolf on wall street" keith says before taking another turn and seeing the ice cream parlor. 

lance didn't know what to say, he was speechless but in his mind his thoughts and emotions were in turmoil. he was angry, scared, defeated, vulnerable. all he did was stay quiet, he knew it was best if he stayed silent instead of aggravating the situation. his mind wanders back to when he was a child.

the small cramped room his family and him lived in. how tight it was, it was like the saying you opened the front door and you'd break a window. the wallpaper was peeling off the walls and the only thing that would keep the room cool in the summer was a small ac they had by the window. lance bit his lip, feeling sadness envelop him. 

he fixes his jacket and mumbles " i guess you're right, i live the dream.." 

keith didn't notice his sadness and said "we're here"

he opens the door and walks in. leaving lance to catch the door for himself and sulking his way in. keith looking around at bright purple walls and eyes landing on the ice creams. "well uh, here you are. i suggest you call your friends if you have a phone so they know where you are so you don't walk back alone."

keith turns around as he feels an arm grip him "hey i don't want you to um-miss your ice cream. we made a deal keith"

the rebel looked into the boy's eyes and saw he looked frightened. looking down at the grip on his arm, how the other's hand engulfed his arm. maybe he felt sympathy or something cause he was drawn into those ocean blue eyes of lance's. 

for once in lance's life, keith looked to him with his lips curved upwards just the slightest. he nodded as the cuban smiles and says "alright! let's get some ice cream! i'm paying by the way" 

"i saved your life, i better not pay" 

keith looks as two workers walk out. a girl with a long braid falling onto her back and a cap on her head, looking exhausted. the other being a guy with thick hair with freckles. lance cracking his knuckles and mutters to keith "i got this" 

lance strutted over and puts his elbows on the top of the glass that showed the flavors of ice cream. he winks and says "why, hello there" 

keith facepalms and thinks 'what the fuck is he doing?.' he hears a giggle and looks up. the girl blushing and looking down at her hands. he looks to lance who caresses her face and says "if only this ice cream was as sweet as you, dear" 

the guy and keith make eye contact. the mullet having boy shyly waving as the employee smiles and says "what can i get for you?"

as lance and the girl are shamelessly flirting back and forth. he looks down at the ice cream and makes a face of concentration. his brows furrowed and his tongue poking out the slightest. "it's okay, take your time"

he looked at all the flavors and says "i'll have raspberry sherbet" 

"sherbet stinks keith, it's all about ice cream" lance says playfully as he shakes his head 

"i've never had ice cream nor sherbet so i wouldn't know it's two different things, asshat" he responds as lance's face pales 

"you've never had ice cream?! jesus christ, what rock have you been living under?!" the teenager squeaks as keith shrugs. the male worker clears his throat and plays with the collar of his polo. 

"i mean, since it's your first time, i'll make it free for you" the boy, who keith found out his name was marco by reading his name tag, says with a blush dusted on his cheeks. 

lance looks to marco, noticing he's trying to flirt with keith but the boy tilted his head in confusion.

keith looks surprised and starts shaking his head "i can't, you could lose your job and i shouldn't really-"

"cmon keith! take the poor guy's ice cream and put the kid out of his misery" lance says as the girl giggles at him. keith sighs and realizes the kid's just trying to be nice.

"sure" is all he says as marco smiles and puts his ice cream into a cup.

"put mine in a cone will you, dollface?" the boy with long legs says as the worker blushes and puts his cookie dough ice cream in a cone. 

she hands to him as he flashes a smile and keith facepalms. he thinks to himself 'cmon, enough of the chit chat. let's get going, i have work to do'

marco hands over to him his ice cream and some napkins. keith thanks him and grabs himself a spoon. lance grabs keith's arm and says "guess we'll be heading out now, see you later babes"

"i-i left my number on the napkin keith" that left the poor boy speechless and stammering, lance pushing him out.

"he says thanks!" lance waves off before the door closes "look at you! got a number without even trying" 

keith looks down at the napkin, confused of why someone would just give up their number like that. that's valuable information you're giving away. "too bad i don't have a smartphone"

"what are you talki- is that a flip-phone?!" lance says till keith pulls the small device out of his pocket and shrieks "it's so...old!" 

"hey, kids from your parts go into my area's thrift stores to find something 'cool' because it's old. i sometimes can't even afford new clothes. don't shriek at me" 

lance immediately thinks of pidge and how she goes to look for graphic tees or dvds. she loved sci-fi movies with a passion and always found some old or new ones there. if she wanted could recite all of the star wars movies. though she always went back and gave clothes there too. they would go monthly to donate things they didn't want anymore. 

he looked down at the floor with a smile and just watches the passing cement. keith looks up at his face and sees his expression. the other boy looking at him and smirks "like what you see?" 

the boy in the tank top scowls "as if! speaking of that stupid line, that girl! you hit on her for free ice cream"

"i flirted with her, didn't mean i would get it; pretty pays keith" 

"i guess" keith replies with a shrug, his hands holding his ice cream and spoon. "wouldn't know, i'm not what people call pretty"

lance held back the urge to stop walking and scream in his face, instead he raised a brow and said "really? no one's ever told you look nice?" 

"besides catcalls by creeps on the streets, no" keith says as the cuban muffles a squeal. he thought to himself 'jesus christ, no wonder he's such a sad person'

"i'm not a sad person" keith says, furrowing his brows 

"did i uh-say that out loud?" lance nervously chuckles and awkwardly whistles after 

"way to kill the moment" keith mumbles as they take a turn and lance looks to him. 

"i'm sorry, i've just never met someone who's never been complimented" 

"probably cause you care about style more than substance"

"why do you think i care so much about that?!" lance snaps looking at keith. the adolescent with the black hair walking faster "keith don't walk away from me! why are you so argumentative?!" 

they both give each other a look. one showing fear though disguising it in anger, the other confused yet saddened. keith fixes a strand of hair from his face and says "let's get going, i've been gone too long" 

he starts jogging, lance groaning before beginning to jog himself. lance looked at keith, examining his facial expression and the movement of his body.

the cuban couldn't exactly understand anything about him. it was all shrouded in mystery and he wanted to know why. 

"lance!" 

"hm?" he turns and notices once it's too late. before he knew it, his face made contact with the street sign and he fell down. with a loud yelp and a crash to the floor, he was slumped on the floor, the cracked cone and ice cream on the floor. 

keith pulls him up and wraps an arm around his shoulder. "god, you really are a klutz." 

lance mumbles about his ice cream being gone before looking to keith's eyes "that's going to be a black eye, i can see it"

lance groans and says "how am i gonna explain to my mom that i crashed in a pole" 

"you're telling the truth, also tell your friends to back you up if you need something else to lean on" lance's knees wobble as they walk "god you're so heavy, you're practically more leg than chest so i don't see why"

"that's what my dad says, he says i have high feminine hips" lance mumbles as he looks down at them "i don't like them awfully much but it's genetics so what can i do" 

keith doesn't respond and they stay silent the rest of the way. he busts up the door and sits lance down. the hazel haired boy looked around as his eyes adjusts to the lightning "keith, where am i?" 

"i brought you to my work, i didn't know where else to leave you since you got injured" lance groaned as he hears allura's voice 

"what happened to him? he looks worse than he did before" 

keith lets out a amused 'mhm' before saying "he came here before?"

"that moped you were supposed to inspect as soon as it went in?; it's his" allura says, pointing to the metallic blue vehicle out in the garage. 

keith looked at the moped and back at lance. 'why would he of all people have a moped?' he questioned internally. lance rubbed his eye and looked pretty hurt. hunk and pidge rushing in and seeing lance. his taller friend, examining his face and telling something inaudible to lance. 

"what ever, i'm gonna go work on that harley from friday" keith says as he kicks open the loose door and walks in to see shiro. 

his friend wiping his forehead with his arm, keith couldn't admit it to his face but shiro was a really handsome man. he had a short period of time he had a crush on him but it's been in the past for quite a while now.

he was nineteen now and knew why he found him attractive. keith at first thought he was bi, then he didn't realize he liked girls that much but it couldn't stick to him that he only liked guys. though after he accepted it, he was still in the closet. 'well that was until-' 

"what took you so long? i was worried" shiro said putting down the tool and crossing his built arms. 

"but not worried enough to go out and look for me?"

"you're an adult now keith, i figured that you'd be okay. after all that training especially," 

shiro was quite the talented boxer when he was keith's age and was pretty good inside the ring. later on though he realized it wasn't what he wanted to do with his life and left that career to do some soul searching. he came back a new man and was alright after all that time. 

he taught keith when he knew him, seeing how slim and non-muscular he was at the time. keith is more built than before, though he still kept his sleek body frame. which came in handy, especially today. 

"i'm more than okay, a customer of ours got jumped while frolicking outside. was caught like a deer in headlights," keith says looking "if it weren't for me, he'd probably be gagged or dead at the moment,"

shiro looks outside to see the girl with caramel hair pressing a water bottle to lance's eye. he looks and shakes his head "poor kid,"

"according to him, he knows me," keith mumbles as he grabs his tool box and opens it. the other mechanic looks to him with a raised brow. 

"does he now?" shiro asks, somewhat curious. 

"yeah, he and i were on varsity" keith mutters, not really focused on the topic anymore. he was already finished mentally about it. lance made him feel odd and he didn't like that. 

he thought about it as he was grabbing a new gas hose and tossing aside the old one. the hose was dry and cracked and needed to be replaced immediately. luckily, keith was almost done with the problem. 

"you have to inspect that moped for him sooner or later,"shiro says as he gets on the car creeper and slides under the muscle car's body. keith couldn't see shiro's face but he knew he had a light smile on his face. 

"i'll do it after i finish this," keith mumbles as he side glances to where the lobby is, seeing the three teenagers gone. he sighs and looks back to his work. 

little did he know that all three were still in the room but were secretly watching him. allura crossing her arms and she blurts "what on earth are you three doing?,"

"quiet toots, it's called evaluating," lance says, silencing her. the british girl shaking her head and walking away. 

keith in his black work boots, dark blue cuffed jeans, in his tank top and covered in car grease. it suited him, especially by how concentrated he was on his job. 

"he's kinda cool?," hunk says, trying to believe that himself but knew he wasn't going with it. lance just told them the story of how this guy saved their best friend's life so he figured he had to find out somehow who this 'keith' was. 

"he's mysterious, that's for sure. it also seems as if lance likes that aura too," pidge says looking over to her friend with a smirk at the end. lance whips head quickly and furrows his brows in disbelief. 

"you think i want to be attracted to that mess?! you have another thing coming, holt," lance pipes up as hunk shushes them before pidge could say something witty in response. 

"but guys seriously, we should stop before this gets creepy" pidge whispers.

"oh it's been creepy, very creepy."

all three friends jump at the voice, seeing a ginger headed fellow with a thick mustache. allura squeals and rushes over "coran!," 

"coran? allura? what is it today, alien name day?," lance mutters, being elbowed in the gut by pidge. the fluffy haired girl hugs the older man, both tightly embracing one another. 

coran pulled away and played the tip of his mustache "well, i have to check up on you. remember?,"

allura blushes, scratching her neck and says "but not at work...i have clients here," she motions over to the group of three. 

"hi," lance says, nervously chuckling. his friends and him were still on the floor, hiding under the window. 

coran leans down to examine lance, the boy being nervous of why the stranger was examining him. lance says "easy, old man. just let my friends and i crawl back to the seats,"

"don't call me old,"coran says, getting back up straight and scoots over for them to get up. "you should know better manners,"

"actually, i do know manners," lance says straightening up, all three of the friends now on chairs.

"pfft, are you kidding?," keith says with a shit eating grin. he had opened the window to tell allura something. "allura, the harley is done. hey coran, how have you been doing?,"

"just fine keith, thank you," coran smiles as lance furrows his brows at keith. 'thinks he's so great' he thinks as he balls his hands into fists.

"um, by the way lance, i'll start inspecting that moped of yours now," keith says before shutting the window and walking away.

lance raises his brows, being surprised. "what's up with him?"

"he's a bit...shy," coran says, taking a awkward pause in the middle. 

pidge cleans her glasses and puts them back on "go figured," 

hunk has been waiting for them to go and says "allura, how long does this take again?"

"half an hour," allura says, smiling at coran. 

hunk runs a hand through his hair and says "oh god," 

-after the inspection- 

lance smiles as he sees his moped "blue! my baby!," 

keith crossed his arms, a small smile on his face "when did you first get it?," 

"uh, today?,” lance says sitting on top of the moped

"seriously?,” keith says, leaning against the wall. pidge and hunk examined him more, eyeing him up and down. "can you tell your friends to not be uh, creepy?,”

“well, looks like we gotta go now,” lance smiles “thanks for everything keith,”

keith nods and says “you’re welcome,”

“i owe you one,”

“you really don’t,”

“but i insist!,”

keith sighs and facepalms “do you ever give up?,”

“no, now. how about i invite you and your friends to my family’s restaurant. people wait for months to get into it! you’ll like it,” lance offers and smiles 

keith taps his foot “if i say yes, will you leave?,” 

“yes,” 

“okay, allura, my friend shiro and i will go. no funny business?,” 

“no funny business,” lance says with a smile, crossing his two fingers behind his back.


End file.
